Changes To StayWarm

losgiganteskid

Just received a renewal notice for Staywarm for the coming year. Last year my monthly direct debit was £93, they now want to increase this to £128 pm. (circa 37% increase) - seems like we have experienced a bitterly cold and extended winter and they have upped the price accordingly on the basis that all winters from hereonin will be as cold. The flip side is that if we had experienced a particularly mild winter would the monthly cost have decreased ? - me thinks not.

However, there is some comfort to me in knowing that for £128 pm I have unlimited electricity. - has to be worth a lot - what say you?

ps the year before last the monthly amount was £78

millie

I have just cancelled mine I also paid £93.69 and at the last renewal in September they were going to raise it to £135, they said our gas usage was low but the electricity usage was high. They decided that as the electricity usage was only a little over the threshold so left us at the lower price. I read my meters ever month and this year electricity is no less than last years in fact it is slightly higher. I decided to check the comparison sites and based on my usage for the last 12 months EDF came out at £75 per month, That is with the bad winter we have just had. I thought that rather than pay £93 a month all through the summer and then let them say the same at the renewal and increase it hugely I would cancel now so that is what I have done. Of course you need to have all your usage details to make this comparison but I have.

losgiganteskid

Just a thought - people on Staywarm are in effect agreeing to an unlimited (unmetered) amount of electricity use in return for a pre agreed monthly set figure. As my monthly payment has gone up 37% surely this means I can use 37% MORE electricity this year to offset the cost - why not ?

wapow

I think you are agreeing to pay as much as you use, and going a little over or even alot over will not affect your price.

From the moment you signed up the price of energy may have increased but because you were on a fixed tariff you may have paid a cheaper rate.

Now that the price has gone up the price presumably reflects your usage plus the price of energy.

So the 37% price increase may be due to the fact that energy prices have risen or your usage was high - and as it was that winter came about, they probably calculated it on that.

Now im being all nice here to staywarm but in all honesty theyre all a bunch of robbing bar-stewards.

If i take stay warm in the summer, and them my yearly renewals come in summer, then that means they will go by my summer usage and not winter usage.....agreed?

martint123

wapow wrote: »

If i take stay warm in the summer, and them my yearly renewals come in summer, then that means they will go by my summer usage and not winter usage.....agreed?

Nope, they take the annual usage.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

wapow wrote: »

I think you are agreeing to pay as much as you use, and going a little over or even alot over will not affect your price.

From the moment you signed up the price of energy may have increased but because you were on a fixed tariff you may have paid a cheaper rate.

Now that the price has gone up the price presumably reflects your usage plus the price of energy.

So the 37% price increase may be due to the fact that energy prices have risen or your usage was high - and as it was that winter came about, they probably calculated it on that.

Now im being all nice here to staywarm but in all honesty theyre all a bunch of robbing bar-stewards.

If i take stay warm in the summer, and them my yearly renewals come in summer, then that means they will go by my summer usage and not winter usage.....agreed?

Hi wapow

Thought it might help if I gave a brief outline of our Staywarm tariff.

Staywarm is available to customers aged 60 and over provided they are eligible for the product.

Once agreed, customers will pay a fixed monthly amount for 12 months from the date they sign up.

During this 12 month period, they can use as much as energy as they like without any further charges. Therefore, no unexpected bills.

We will continue to take meter readings even though this is a fixed price contract regardless of usage.

At the end of the 12 month period, the account will be reviewed and a renewal offered. This will be based on the amount of energy used over the previous 12 months as well as property size, appliances and the number of people living there.

Hope this makes things a little clearer. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

threea

tell me why we cannot get our Tesco points, nor get accs online!

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

threea wrote: »

tell me why we cannot get our Tesco points, nor get accs online!

Hi threea

Tesco Clubcard points are only awarded on certain products.

Each package we offer is designed to provide a level of benefits to a particular group of customers.

Staywarm offers 12 months of unlimited energy usage at a fixed price for some of our more vulnerable customers. Additionally, Staywarm customers may be entitled to free energy saving measures like loft and cavity wall insulation depending on their individual circumstances.

I am afraid it is not possible to provide every benefit on every tariff. As such, Tesco Clubcard points are not available to Staywarm customers.

Our online management system is based on customers being billed to meter readings. As this does not happen with Staywarm customers, providing an online management facility can lead to difficulties and confusion.

Also, many of the benefits of having an online account are not available to Staywarm customers. Things like the Energy Tracker, changes to Direct Debit arrangements and switching tariffs are of no use whilst customers are on Staywarm.

We did once offer an online facility to Staywarm customers but it was withdrawn because of the confusion it caused.

Sorry I can't offer a more positive response threea but I hope the above at least answers your questions. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

gatita

I was a Staywarm customer for a couple of years, but when they almost DOUBLED my monthly direct debit I moved elsewhere.......... I was quite aware that the price of gas etc had increased, but even so Staywarms increase was totally out of order in my opinion. I consider Staywarm a complete rip off setup. I didn't not over use either the gas or electricity, and my annual usage was deemed as 'normal' for the type of property I have. I think they lure people in to join Staywarm at a reasonable cost for the first year, and then hike it up by an enormous amount the following year, knowing that most elderly people will not change the company.
My advice is to would be customers is, unless you don't feel the cold, don't cook, and rarely shower, DON'T sign up to them

viv0147

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday my Staywarm contract is about to end and at the moment I pay £70 a month total for gas and electricity use as much as you like and it stays the same for 1 year. Well with the bad winter we had, I had my central heating on quite a lot, also I retired a year ago which means I am home more, so I was expecting my payments to go up. My new contract which starts August 2010 remains the same, fantastic !!! so taking into account my £250 Winter heating allowance it works out £11.34 a week total for the Gas and Electric, needless to say I am delighted.